Marine

Did you know seabirds are one of the most threatened group of birds?

A major review in BirdLife's journal Bird Conservation International confirmed that seabirds are amongst the world’s most threatened group of birds. The albatross family is especially imperilled, with 15 of 22 species threatened with extinction.

Declines are often closely linked to the expansion of commercial fisheries in seabird feeding areas (which has degraded fish stocks and caused seabird deaths through accidental capture in nets and other fishing gear), combined with the impacts of invasive alien species such as rats and cats that prey on birds in nesting colonies.

These are the most common threats to seabirds. Of their 346 species, nearly a third (101) are globally threatened, 10% are Near Threatened and almost half are known or suspected to be experiencing population declines. Image: Rachel Hudson

What BirdLife is doing

Reducing seabird bycatch worldwide

Influencing internationaland regional conservation policies is vital, and BirdLife works with the world’s Regional Fisheries Management Organisations to reduce bycatch. It is also important to work on practical solutions with fishers and others to find and implement the right measures to prevent unnecessary seabird deaths.

We have formed the ground-breaking Albatross Task Force, the world's first international team of seabird bycatch mitigation instructors working at-sea on commercial fishing vessels. We recently exported this successful model for seabird conservation to Europe, where we have established our Seabird Task Force . We are also leading global research and at-sea testing of new measures to prevent bycatch, including in gillnet fisheries.

Identifying and protecting important sites for seabirds

We put seabirds on the map. Working with international scientists and experts BirdLife hosts the Tracking Ocean Wanderers Database, the largest collection of seabird tracking data in existence. With 40 BirdLife Partners from all over the world, we have produced the first global atlas of important sites for seabirds and other marine biodiversity, describing over 3000 sites in coastal waters and on the high seas. As of 2014, 325 seabird species had one or more Important Bird Areas (IBAs) identified for it. We continue to press for these special places to be properly protected.

Antipodean Albatrosses court for years, mate for life and work together to raise their young – but human activity is causing a sex ratio imbalance that is destroying their lifelong romance. This year, they have been uplisted to Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to worrying population declines.

“Out of sight, out of mind” - the alarming decline of the Black-legged Kittiwake provides a painful lesson that The High Seas – open ocean outside national jurisdiction – need urgent protection. But hope is at hand with the proposal of a new Marine Protected Area.

The word “gannet” is synonymous with gluttony - but lack of food is becoming a serious problem for the Cape Gannet. This year it has been uplisted from Vulnerable to Endangered due to population declines driven by depleted fish stocks.

BBC documentary series Blue Planet 2 prompts Marine Conservationist and Photographer to explain why the tales of human impact are the scenes she won’t be forgetting, what else threatens the seabirds she's closest to, and what you can do in response to help

Every year, an estimated 400,000 seabirds worldwide are killed after getting unintentionally snared in gillnets while diving for food. A new review highlights that even penguins – the master swimmers of the avian world – aren’t safe from their clutches, and pinpoints where the threat is most acute.

Nahuel Chavez has worked with the Albatross Task Force since 2009 to save seabirds in fisheries off the coast of Argentina. It is estimated that around 13,500 black-browed albatross are killed in the trawl fleets every year.